The back of your throat is numbed and a scope is inserted down your throat.

On the end of the scope is a device that sends out sound waves. An experienced technician will guide the scope down to the lower part of the esophagus. It is used to get a clearer echocardiogram of your heart.

There is no special preparation for the test. For a TEE, you will be asked not to eat or drink for several hours before the test.

You will be asked to remove your clothes from the waist up and lie on an examination table on your back. Electrodes will be placed on your chest to allow for an ECG to be done. A gel will be spread on your chest and then the transducer will be applied. You will feel a slight pressure on your chest from the transducer. You may be asked to breathe in a certain way or to roll over onto your left side.

This test is done to evaluate the valves and chambers of the heart in a noninvasive way. The echocardiogram allows doctors to diagnose, evaluate, and monitor:

• Abnormal heart valves
• Atrial fibrillation
• Congenital heart disease
• Damage to the heart muscle in patients who have had heart attacks
• Heart murmurs
• Infection in the sac around the heart (pericarditis)
• Infection on or around the heart valves (infectious endocarditis)
• Pulmonary hypertension
• The pumping function of the heart for people with heart failure
• The source of a blood clot after a stroke or TIA

Your health care provider may recommend a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) if:

• The regular or transthoracic echocardiogram is unclear because you have a barrel chest, lung disease, or obesity
• A much clearer picture of a certain area of the heart is needed

Images

Circulatory system

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Review Date: 05/23/2011
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; and Michael A. Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)